Shirt storage and package apparatus

ABSTRACT

A shirt storage and package apparatus for the shipping, storage, and display of shirts is described. The apparatus, preferably made of integrally molded polyvinylchloride plastic to insure visibility, includes a top cover having a generally rectangular shape; an upright collar insert integrally molded within and perpendicular to the plane of the cover; a bottom cover substantially identical to and placed opposite in orientation to the top cover; a means for moving the top and bottom covers between an open and a closed position; and a means for releasably locking the top and bottom covers to one another. The upright collar insert is adapted to fit within a shirt collar, thereby maintaining the the shirt in a non-crushable position. Two shirts can be accommodated in a back-to-back position and opposite orientation from one another within each apparatus, thereby allowing easy user and consumer inspection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plastic packages are made in a diversity of shapes and sizes for thedisplay and storage of merchandise. Some plastic packages are designedfor visual inspection so that customers can make informed purchasingdecisions without having to open a package, while others are opaque andprovide protection during the shipping and transportation of an item.

Semi-rigid plastic bubble packages, in which a plastic bubble is moldedto conform to a certain shape and size and is affixed to a plastic orpaper backing, find extensive use in rack merchandising of items.Reclosable plastic packaging provides added advantages of possible"hands on" inspection of an item and storage of remaining, unusedportions of items.

Plastic packaging for articles of clothing has been directed towardsmall accessory items like jewelry, belts, ties, and hair ribbons, andcrushable items such as hosiery and slippers. Such packaging isgenerally of a semi-rigid bubble type or small, rigid, half-opaquehinged box type, that provides limited visual inspection of an item.Neither of these types of packaging is adaptable for larger items ofclothing that would provide protection from crumpling and wrinkling andyet allow nearly complete visual inspection for consumer information.

Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a plastic package thatwould be adaptable for larger articles of clothing. It further would bedesirable to provide a rigid plastic container to prevent articlescontained therein from being crushed and wrinkled. Semi-rigid plasticbubbles with paper or plastic backings and cardboard boxes do notprovide sufficient rigidity to overcome this difficulty.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,029, issued Jan. 3, 1989 to Campbell et al, shows ashoe display and storage device. The device is a transparent plasticcontainer whose bottom portion is molded in a preformed shape to receivea pair of shoes. The shoes are placed adjacent each other with a toe ofone shoe lying near a heel of its partner shoe. The preformed shape ofthe molded container bottom serves to lock the pair of shoes intoposition for shipment and display purposes. A variety of mold forms areemployed to create shoe devices that will accommodate different sizesand styles of men's, women's and children's shoes.

It would be desirable to provide a plastic package that would allowcomplete visual inspection of one or more shirts for the information ofa customer. Additionally, it would be desirable to have such a packagemaintain a shirt collar in a non-movable position during shipping,display and of storage of the shirt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to containers for shipping, storing and displayingarticles of clothing and accessories in a back-to-back,compartmentalized relationship. In particular, it relates to a storageand package apparatus for shirts.

The shirt storage and package apparatus comprises a top cover ofgenerally rectangular shape to receive a shirt; an upright collar insertto fit within a shirt collar and attached to the inside of the topcover; a bottom cover, substantially identical to the top cover butopposite the top cover in orientation, so that placement of the topcover on the bottom cover results in the formation of a space betweenthe covers; a means for moving the top and bottom covers between an openposition and a closed position relative to one another; and a means forreleasably locking the top and bottom covers to one another such thattwo shirts can be held within the container in a back-to-back andreverse position during shipping, storage and display.

The top and bottom covers may be made from any rigid, and particularly amolded, transparent material of choice that will provide protection forthe shirts within the apparatus as well as preferably provide visibilityof the shirts for user and consumer inspection. In a preferredembodiment, the top and bottom covers are molded from polyvinylchloride(PVC) plastic which may be clear, tinted or a combination of both. Inaddition, the top cover may optionally have a lip portion coextensivewith its edges and directed outwardly away from the inside of the cover.The bottom cover is constructed in a substantially identical manner tothe top cover so that when the top and bottom covers meet in oppositeorientation, their lip portions rest on one another. In a preferredembodiment, the lip portion of a cover is composed of a plasticmaterial, more particularly of PVC plastic, integrally molded with theedge of the cover.

The upright collar insert is located on a flat, inner portion of eachcover and is generally perpendicular to the plane of the cover. It isnearer one of the two shorter sides of the generally rectangular shapeof the cover, and thereby corresponds to a position of a shirt collarwhen a shirt is placed within the apparatus. The shape of the uprightcollar insert is adapted to fit inside a shirt collar and is of a heightsufficient to maintain the shirt collar in a non-crushable positionduring shipping, storage and display. Upright collar inserts may vary inheight from those sufficient to maintain in place a shirt collar on aman's dress shirt to a height sufficient to maintain in place the ribbedcollar of a child's polo shirt.

In a preferred embodiment, the upright collar inserts are hollow andintegrally molded within the inner, flat portions of the top and bottomcovers. In another embodiment, the upright collar inserts are detachablyaffixed to the flat, inner portions of the top and bottom covers. In yetanother embodiment, the upright collar inserts are preformed, adjustablebands of suitable size and shape to fit within shirt collars. Suchconstruction provides a place for cuff links, tie tacks and other smallaccessories within the central, open space of the upright collarinserts.

Upright collar inserts are constructed in any number of circumferencesin order to fit within a variety of shirt collar sizes, and may range insize from about 6-18 inches. In addition, they may be fabricated fromany suitable material that will provide rigidity and non-crushablesupport for a shirt collar including, but not limited to, metalcompositions, cardboard of varying weights, styrofoam cushions andstiffened fabrics. Again, the preferred embodiment includes a hollow,upright collar insert made of PVC plastic and integrally molded withinthe top and bottom covers. The upright collar inserts may also befabricated as a solid piece, integrally molded within or attached toeach of the covers.

The means for moving the top cover relative to the bottom cover betweena shirt-receiving and shirt-removing position and a closedshirt-protecting position, may be any means of choice that willaccomplish such movement such as, for example, snaps and tabs. Inaddition, one or more hinges located on an adjoining side of the top andbottom covers will provide angular movement for opening and closing theapparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the adjoining lengths of one edgeof the top cover and a corresponding edge of the bottom cover areaffixed to one another by means of a flexibly molded plastic piece,preferably of PVC plastic, thereby forming a "living hinge."

The means for releasably locking the top and bottom covers to oneanother when so desired may include a means of choice such as, forexample, magnets, snaps, belts, straps, interlocking tabs preformedwithin the top and bottom covers, fabric fasteners, and complementaryridge and crevice formations within the lip portions of the top andbottom covers disposably arranged for interaction. In a preferredembodiment, two sets of interlocking plastic snaps are integrally moldedwith the top and bottom covers and are formed along one adjoining sideof the top and bottom cover lip portions of the apparatus to effect itsreleasable locking.

An optional thin, detachable sheet may be employed to separate a firstshirt from a second shirt contained within the shirt storage and packageapparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the detachable sheet is composedof a thin, transparent plastic film piece, preferably made from PVCplastic, and having a means for attachment at the lip portions of thetop and bottom covers. The detachable piece provides additional supportfor maintaining shirts in a defined, non-crushable position duringdisplay, storage, and shipping.

One or more optional, integrally molded plastic handles may be attachedto the exterior of the apparatus for user convenience in carrying shirtswithin the apparatus and for display purposes when hanging shirts onmerchandise display racks.

The shirt storage and package apparatus may be constructed in a numberof sizes to accommodate shirts for men, women and children. Measurementsof the apparatus range from about 8-15 inches in width, 10-18 inches inlength, and 2-6 inches in depth, depending on the size of the shirts tobe packaged. One embodiment of the invention is especially adapted tomaintain the positions of two flat, knit shirts such as, for example,polo shirts and turtleneck shirts, in a position for shipping, storageand display, and has a depth of about 2 inches and an upright collarinsert of about 1/8-174 inch.

Another embodiment of the invention includes the joining of top andbottom covers having different upright collar insert heights andcircumferences to accommodate different sizes and styles of shirtswithin a single shirt storage and package apparatus. Yet anotherembodiment of the invention includes multiples of two upright collarinserts located on opposite ends of the top and bottom covers toaccommodate, for example, four or either infant shirts in one apparatus.

The invention will be described for the purposes of illustration only inconnection with certain embodiments; however, it is recognized thatthose skilled in the art may make various modifications, changes,additions and improvements to the certain embodiments, all fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shirt storage and package device forholding two shirts showing the identical but oppositely oriented membersin an open position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 1 in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a transparent side view of the device of FIG. 1 showing a filmsheet interposed between the two members of the device in a closedposition.

FIG. 4 is an shaded side view of the device of FIG. 1 showing placementareas for two shirts oppositely disposed therein.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shirt placed within the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a shirt storage and package device 10 in general.

A top cover 12 has a generally rectangular shape and size sufficient tohold a folded shirt 32, (See FIG. 5).

An upright collar insert 14 is located on and is generally perpendicularto the top cover 12. The upright collar insert 14 is positioned near afirst end of the shirt storage and package apparatus, and on thegenerally rectangularly shaped top cover 12 to receive a shirt collarwhen a shirt 32 is placed within the apparatus 10. The upright collarinsert 14 is of sufficient height to maintain a shirt collar in anon-crushable position during storage, shipping and display.

A bottom cover 16 is fabricated substantially identically to the topcover 12. An upright collar insert 18 is placed near a second end of theshirt storage and package apparatus, and on of the generally rectangularshaped bottom cover 16. The upright collar insert 18 lies generallyperpendicularly to the plane of the bottom cover 16. It too is adaptedto receive a collar of a shirt 34 and is of sufficient height tomaintain the shirt collar in a non-crushable position when the shirt 34is contained within the apparatus 10. (See FIG. 5.)

FIG. 1 shows a lip portion 20 co-extensive with the top cover 12 anddirected outwardly away from the inside of the top cover 12 and directedoutwardly away from the insert 14 is located. Similarly, a lip portion22 is co-extensive with the bottom cover 16 and also is directedoutwardly away from the inside of the bottom cover 16 where the uprightcollar insert 18 is located.

A hinge 24 extends along an adjoining edge of the lips 20 and 22,thereby providing movement between the top cover 12 and bottom cover 16relative to one another. The hinge 24 allows movement of the coversbetween an open, shirt-receiving or shirt-removing position (FIG. 1) anda closed, shirt-storage, shirt-shipping and shirt-display position(FIGS. 2-4). It is recognized that any number of other devices may beutilized to perform this same function.

FIG. 1 also shows a pair of plastic snaps 26 and 28 disposed along oneedge of the lip 20 of the top cover 12 and the adjoining edge of the lip22 of the bottom cover 16. The plastic snaps 26 and 28 releasably lockthe top cover 12 to the bottom cover 16 whenever desired. A variety ofalternative closing articles may be used in place of the plastic snapswithout altering the invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the placement of the optional thin, transparent sheet30 that separates one shirt 32 from another shirt 34 as the shirts areplaced within the apparatus 10.

As seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the top cover 12 and bottom cover 16 arearranged relative to one another so that each has an orientationopposite that of the other. The positions of the upright collar inserts14 and 18, each adapted to receive and hold a shirt collar in place,assure that the fronts of the two shirts contained within the apparatus10 will be visible through the outsides of the top cover 12 and bottomcover 16. The two shirts 32 and 34 are carried, stored and displayed ina back-to-back and reverse position relative to one another, and areseparated by the thin sheet of transparent plastic 30 which provideseven further support to maintain the uncrushed positions of the shirts.

FIG. 5 shows a shirt 32 within the shirt storage and package apparatus10 with the upright collar insert 14 placed within a shirt collar so asto protect the shirt collar in a non-crushable position. Thetransparency of the apparatus provides easy user and consumer inspectionof the shirt contained therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. In combination:a) a shirt storage and packageapparatus to receive and store two folded shirts, each shirt having ashirt collar, which apparatus comprises:i) a top cover having agenerally rectangular shape, said top cover comprising a rectangular andgenerally planar inner wall portion having a periphery, uprightsidewalls joined to each other at ends thereof and further joined tosaid periphery, said sidewalls extending orthogonally to said inner wallportion to define with said inner wall portion an interior of said topcover, said sidewalls having edges at sides thereof opposite to saidinner wall portion; ii) a bottom cover substantially identical to andplaced in an orientation opposite from the top cover, so as to form ashirt-receiving space between the covers to receive two folded shirtswhen in a closed position; iii) a means for moving the top and bottomcovers between an open and closed position relative to one another; iv)a means for releasably locking the top and bottom covers to one another;v) a pair of collar inserts, one of said pair of collar insertsextending orthogonally from the inner wall portion of the top cover intothe interior of said top cover at one end thereof, the other of saidpair of collar inserts extending orthogonally from the inner wallportion of the bottom cover into the interior of said bottom cover at anend thereof opposite to said one end, said pair of collar inserts; of asize, shape, and height to permit insertion of each collar insert withinthe shirt collars of two folded shirts that lie in a back-to-back andopposite direction relative to one another within the shirt-receivingspace to maintain the shirt collars in a noncrushable position; and b) apair of folded shirts in a back-to-back, reverse, stored position withinsaid apparatus with said collar inserts inserted within the collars ofsaid shirts" has been inserted immediately.
 2. The combination of claim1 wherein the top and bottom covers comprise a transparent plasticmaterial.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the transparent plasticmaterial is polyvinylchloride (PVC).
 4. The combination of claim 2wherein the the top cover, bottom cover, and collar inserts areintegrally molded from the same material.
 5. The combination of claim 1wherein each collar insert comprises a generally triangularly-shapedelement in a top plan view of the covers.
 6. The combination of claim 1which includes an outwardly extending lip portion coextensive with theedges of the top and bottom covers.
 7. The combination of claim 1wherein the means for moving the top and bottom covers comprises a hingemeans secured between the edges of the top and bottom covers.
 8. Thecombination of claim 6 wherein the means for releasably locking the topcover to the bottom cover comprises at least one pair of interlockingsnaps located on adjoining lip portions of said covers.
 9. Thecombination of claim 1 which includes a thin, detachable sheetpositioned between the top and bottom covers of a closed shirt storageand package apparatus to separate two folded shirts contained therein.10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the thin, detachable sheetcomprises a transparent plastic material.
 11. The combination of claim 1which includes a thin, detachable sheet of transparent material locatedbetween the folded shirts and to separate the folded shirts containedwithin said apparatus.